Targeted social search

Like Google or Bing, Facebook graph search lets people search by using relevant key words – but it also gives users the chance to access more personalized results. And let’s face it. Most people like to know where their friends have been hanging out because chances are, you’ll like it, too.

Here’s how it works: Say someone wants to find a restaurant that their friends have visited in a particular city but they don’t feel like asking publicly for a recommendation. They can use the search “restaurants in Austin that my friends visited” and will be shown a list of restaurants that their Facebook friends visited or checked into. Or, if they just want to find a list of restaurants in that area, they can simply search “restaurants in Austin” and every restaurant with an active Facebook Page will show up.

Local marketing: Where it’s at

When you consider that 48 percent of its daily active users only use mobile devices, Facebook Nearby has a lot of influence. This local search and discovery feature in iOS and Android Facebook Mobile apps allows users to search for specific places, browse business categories, or see what’s around them on a map, all organized by their friends’ recommendations, check-ins and other social cues. With “Nearby,” users can access a business Facebook Page and even get directions right on their mobile device.

Search engines

For a good number of people looking for your business online, search engines like Google and Bing will still be the first place they go. In most cases, your business’s website will be the page that shows up as the top result. But right under your website you’ll see Facebook show up as one of the top results.